Ghana stayed strong and refused to buckle under pressure as they defeated South Korea 3-2 in a thrilling Qatar 2022 World Cup clash in Doha today.
The Blacks Stars saw a 2-0 lead disappear but they held their nerve to score again and claim their first win in Group H.
In a game that was full of twists and turns, Mohammed Salisu and Mohammed Kudus gave Ghana a 2-0 lead in the first half.
But South Korea levelled up via a Jo Gue-sung brace midway into the second half, before Kudus struck again to keep Ghana in the race for the knockout rounds.
A 10-minute spell by Ghana in the first half saw them take the 2-0 lead in the 24th and 34th minutes as they sought to shake off their opening match defeat to Portugal.
Korea fought back with two stunning headers in three minutes from Cho, who is the top scorer in his domestic league, as they tied the game in the 61st minute.
But Ajax forward Kudus added a final twist when he fired in
the third goal for Ghana in the 68th minute to break South Korea’s hearts.
At 22 years and 118 days old, Kudus is the second youngest African player to score two goals in a World Cup match, after Ahmed Musa (21 years 254 days) for Nigeria against Argentina in 2014, according to Opta statistics.
Chances continued to fall South Korea’s way as they searched for another equaliser but, despite 10 minutes of added time, the Black Stars held on.
South Korea face favourites Portugal in their final group fixture on Friday, while Ghana battle Uruguay, who prevented them from becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2010.
